Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. American Psychological Association (2013), "the discipline embraces all aspects of the human experience — from the functions of the brain to the actions of nations, from child development to care for the aged" (para. 1). American Psychological Association (2013), "in every conceivable setting from scientific research centers to mental health care services, "the understanding of behavior" is the enterprise of psychologists" (para. 1).

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Sunday, June 9, 2013

Which milestone in the development of cognitive psychology do you feel has had the most impact on the field? Why

I believe the
development of the information processing model had the most impact on the
field. Information processing was bound to the human mind by a metaphor, which
served as a powerful force in cognitive psychology, and became a composite of
characteristics shared by humans and machines. Information processing is the means
by which individuals take in, use, store, and process information. The
information processing model is an approach to studying the human mind, which
is characterized by three assumptions. Humans are similar as computers as both
are processors of information, which this processing of information supports
behavior and human thought . Willingham (2007), "representations (of
objects and events) and processes that operate on these representations
underlie information processing" (p. 28). In largely isolated modules that
are organized in processing stages information processing normally occurs
(Willingham, 2007). Basically information is absorbed from the environment
transformed then it is emitted as more information. I consider the information
processing model a milestone in the development of cognitive psychology because
it provides a framework to describe and explain mental processes.